The Boomers will also meet the winners of qualifying tournaments in Split, Croatia and Belgrade, Serbia.

Australian head coach Brian Goorjian said their goal was always to win gold in Tokyo.

"For a long time now the driving force for this core group of Boomers is to win gold in Tokyo, and to be the best you have to beat all-comers.

"While we don't yet know all our group opponents, the draw is another piece of the jigsaw we are piecing together to deliver that elusive gold medal.

"A successful Olympics campaign is all about preparation both on and off the court, getting our style of play and selection spot on, and delivering when it matters.

"This tilt at gold in Tokyo has been a decade or more in the making and I'm excited by the opportunity that awaits us later this year."

The US, chasing a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal, will face France in one of their group A matches along with Iran and a qualifier from the Canada region.

Japan, Argentina, Spain and the winner of a qualifying tournament in Lithuania will compete in Group C.

The last time the Americans played France was in 2019 in the quarterfinals of the Basketball World Cup in China where France prevailed to end US medal hopes.

"It's exciting to learn more about the Olympic schedule and who our preliminary round opponents will be in Tokyo," US men's coach Gregg Popovich said.

"The three Olympic preliminary groups appear well balanced, and there are a good number of teams who have legitimate shots at the gold medal in Tokyo."

In the women's section, Australia were drawn with Puerto Rico, China and Belgium in Group C.

The US women are headed to Group B, along with Nigeria, France and hosts Japan.

Group A comprises South Korea, Serbia, Canada and Spain.

Australian Opals head coach Sandy Brondello said they were out to win their first-ever women's gold medal.

"An Olympic campaign is always tough and all three groups pose their own unique challenges," said Brondebello.

"It's certainly good to know who we are playing in the preliminary round and from a coaching point of view, we can gather information and start scouting those teams. However, our primary focus is on ourselves and being the best we can be, leaving no stone unturned in our preparation and peaking at the right time."

"This Opals playing group are going to Tokyo wanting to win Australia's first ever women's basketball gold medal at an Olympic Games and we have the talent to do it."

Each team will play the other teams in their group once, with the top two finishers from each group, along with the two best third-place teams, qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Australian Associated Press